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Tuesday, 2 October 2018 – Doha, Qatar – The QFC Regulatory Authority announced that it will be participating in World Investor Week (WIW), which takes place in Doha from Sunday, 30 September through Friday, 4 October 2018.

WIW is a week-long global campaign promoted by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and supported by regulatory authorities in over sixty countries and leading organisations such as the G20 and the World Bank.

The objective of the WIW is to highlight the importance of investor education and protection, and to foster learning opportunities for investors, given today´s rapidly changing environment of online and technological innovations.

To support the objective of the WIW campaign, the Regulatory Authority visited the Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration Independent Secondary Schools to promote investor education and protection. At both the Boys’ and the Girls’ Schools, Regulatory Authority staff introduced students to concepts of the “smart investor” and how to complain if things go wrong.

In conjunction with this visit, the Regulatory Authority is conducting an essay competition where students describe what they will be doing with their first salary as a “smart investor”. The 1st prize winner will be invited to the Regulatory Authority and will be presented with a certificate and a prize.

For the Regulatory Authority, this initiative falls under Qatar’s Second Strategic Plan for Financial Sector Regulation. In addition, in co-operation with the Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA), the Regulatory Authority will participate in one of the panels held during the QFMA WIW 2018 / Corporate Governance Conference, 2-4 October 2018. The panel will discuss the topic of Anti-Money Laundering/Combatting the Financing of Terrorism, regarding readiness to the MER Process, risk-based implementation and supervision, and the common challenges faced by market participants and licensees.

Mr Ashley Alder, Chair of the IOSCO Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, said, “The IOSCO World Investor Week not only effectively communicates key messages to market participants regarding investor education, investor protection and financial literacy but also encourages and facilitates new initiatives among our members.”

Mr Michael G. Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of the QFC Regulatory Authority, said, “The promotion of investor education and protection is one of the key objectives of the QFC Regulatory Authority. In our school visits and participation in World Investor Week, our aim was the same – to educate both professional and student audiences about best practices when it comes to investing, and to raise awareness of the important role of finance and regulation in our economy.”

The dedicated campaign website, www.worldinvestorweek.org, provides details on the various participating authorities and the international organisations supporting this effort.

NOTES TO THE EDITORS

About IOSCO1. IOSCO is the leading international policy forum for securities regulators and is recognised as the global standard setter for securities regulation. The organisation's membership regulates more than 95% of the world's securities markets in more than 115 jurisdictions and it continues to expand.

2. The IOSCO Board is the governing and standard-setting body of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and is made up of 34 securities regulators. Mr Ashley Alder, the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong, is the Chair of the IOSCO Board. The members of the IOSCO Board are the securities regulatory authorities of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands (observer), Ontario, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, Quebec, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the Chair of IOSCO´s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee are also observers.

3. The Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) Committee is the largest committee within IOSCO, representing close to 80 per cent of the IOSCO membership, including 11 of the G20 members. Mr Ranjit Ajit Singh, Chairman of the Securities Commission Malaysia and Vice Chair of the IOSCO Board, is the Chair of the GEM Committee. The Committee brings members from growth and emerging markets together and communicates members’ views and facilitates their contribution across IOSCO and at other global regulatory discussions. The GEM Committee’s strategic priorities are focused, among others, on risks and vulnerabilities assessments, policy and development work affecting emerging markets, and regulatory capacity building.